My artistic painting process.

My painting process is rooted in a dialogue between sensation and structure. Each painting evolves through distinct stages: working en plein air, reconstructing in the studio or live at an event, and intuitively translating mood through colour. My practice is shaped not only by lived experience and neurodivergence but also by the artists and people who have inspired me to see the world differently. Welcome to Multi-Impressionism.

Collections and Sessions

I try to begin each piece en plein air – painting directly within the landscape to absorb its unique atmosphere. Whether in the city or countryside, I use fast, instinctual sketches and colour studies to capture sensory information: temperature, movement, sound, and light. This connection to the place is deeply personal, shaped by an early visit to Claude Monet’s gardens at Giverny, which showed me that painting could evoke not just what a scene looks like, but what it feels like to be there.

The Landscape

I try to begin each piece en plein air – painting directly within the landscape to absorb its unique atmosphere. Whether in the city or countryside, I use fast, instinctual sketches and colour studies to capture sensory information: temperature, movement, sound, and light. This connection to the place is deeply personal, shaped by an early visit to Claude Monet’s gardens at Giverny, which showed me that painting could evoke not just what a scene looks like, but what it feels like to be there.

In the Studio or Live Painting

Returning to the studio or live at an event, I reconstructs the painting from my sketches and memory. I think this is where my background in design comes into play. Inspired by Robert Rauschenberg’s balance of chaos and composition, I love to experiment with structure, using blocks of colour and formal design elements to anchor each piece. Layer by layer, I build paintings that (I hope) feel immersive.

Colour as Language

Colour is my primary tool for translation. Working with a deliberately limited, palette. I use them to express emotional states and sensory cues. For example cool blues for winter, ochres for sun-warmed earth, reds for the edges of autumn. Inspiration here comes from the organic energy of Berthe Morisot and the gestural intensity of Jackson Pollock, both of whom painted with immediacy and instinct. Colour almost like an unspoken language of emotion.

Follow me on Instagram @helenatraill to see my artwork